2015: A News Calendar

March/April: That’s the BMC’s deadline to finally get pumping stations working at Lovegrove and Cleveland Bunder, part of the ambitious BRIMSTOWAD project.

June/July: Those 10 new mini fire stations to tackle the fire brigade’s long-pending issues of longer response time should finally be tackled.
Nov/Dec: A nine-acre botanical garden is expected to take shape in the commercial area of Lower Parel.

MMRDA

July-August: The MMRDA, currently responsible for projects worth Rs 69,425 crore, will not have the mega successes it saw in 2014 through the Metro Rail and the Freeway, as the 33.5-km Colaba-Bandra-Seepz (CBZ) Metro corridor, the Dahisar-Charkop-Bandra-Mankhurd Metro and the 32-km Wadala-Ghatkopar-Thane-Kasarvadavali Metro corridor are all several years away from completion. But work will start on the four flyovers at Bandra-Kurla Junction and a Bandra-Kurla-Chunabhatti (EEH) connector.

Year-end: Work will also begin on the Extended Mumbai Urban Infrastructure Project worth Rs 2,600 crore. The extended MUIP projects include development of 275 km long road network, 14 flyovers, three creek bridges and two Road Over Bridges.

The courts

Jan/February: The fate of the 13 accused would be decided by a Mumbai sessions court after eight years in the 7/11 train blasts case. The blasts took lives of over 200 people.

February: The Karisma Kapoor/Sanjay Kapur divorce settlement through mutual consent is expected.

Mid-year: The row over the will of Bal Thackeray in which he bequeathed his iconic bungalow ‘Matoshri’ is expected to come to a conclusion. Another tussle likely to end mid-year is that of feuding brothers and managing partners of Amarchand Mangaldas & Suresh A Shroff & Co — Shardul Shroff and Cyril Shroff — who have decided to go in for a mediation.

Some time in 2015: After 11 years of no outcome, the trial in the Salman Khan hit and run case is likely to be concluded.

The Mumbai Airport

January: A Perimeter Intrusion Detection System (PIDS) wall inside the existing perimeter wall of the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) in Mumbai is likely to be up and running by January. It will give aspiring intruders a shock, literally. It will also alert the Central Industry Security Force (CISF) personnel whose guns will be at the ready in case of a breach. The Mumbai International Airport Pvt. Ltd and CISF are in the final stages of testing of the PIDS wall.

July: If you need to catch a domestic flight from the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA), make sure your driver, cabbie or rickshaw driver knows which terminal to catch the flight from. At present, most domestic flights take off from the Santacruz terminal, while only Air India’s connecting domestic flights take off from the international terminal T2 at Sahar. Up to 70 per cent of domestic traffic will be shifted to the Sahar terminal by July, say MIAL officials.

Public health authorities

January: Do you feel private healthcare is expensive but thumb your nose at public healthcare facilities because the services are poor? The BMC will now reserve 25 to 30 per cent of its beds in civic-run hospitals for middle-income group patients. Air-conditioned separate rooms will be available starting from Rs 750 per day with basic surgery charges from Rs 10,000 onwards.

February: For the elderly population, the civic authorities will begin geriatric clinics in the city and suburbs. The services will be consolidated with other departments such as physiotherapy and cardiac departments where the elderly can avail all medical services. Currently, the city has one geriatric clinic in Hinduja hospital.

March: A new medical college in suburbs for aspiring doctors will become a reality with Dr R N Cooper Hospital, Vile Parle, set to start its medical college with 150 seats.

July: The western suburbs are set to get a brand new Bhagwati Hospital in Borivali. The 1,200-bedded hospital will cater to suburban population stretching as far as Virar. Currently, people residing in western suburbs rely on Vile-Parle based RN Cooper hospital for treatment.

Mid-year: While the launch of National Urban Health Mission took place in May, 2014, the implementation of the proposed plans will be kicked off this year. NUHM is essentially a central government initiative to provide quality health-care services to the urban slum population. Under this, improved tuberculosis control, more health centers in slums, massive recruitment of medical staff will push the city towards an improved health care mechanism.

Railways

March: The long-awaited air conditioned train trials are set to begin. In Mumbai. Trials are currently underway at the Integral Coach Factory
in Chennai.

Mid-year: The automatic closed-doors on suburban local trains will be tested too. Currently, installation is being done on one rake as a pilot project, at a cost of Rs 3-4 crore.

Mid-year: A report will be submitted by the Indian Railways & Japan International Co-operation Agency on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project.

Year-end: 12 car trains on Harbour Line of Central Railway will finally become a reality. Extension of platforms at Mahim, Khar, Santacruz & Vile Parle stations is in progress right now.